Accident detection and recovery

ABSTRACT

One or more devices in an accident detection and recovery computing system may be configured to determine that vehicle accidents have occurred, collect and analyze accident characteristics and other related data, and providing customized accident recovery services. Mobile computing devices, alone or in combination with vehicle-based systems and external devices, may detect accidents or receive accident indication data. After determining that an accident has occurred, mobile computing devices and/or vehicle-based systems may be configured to determine accident characteristics, retrieve vehicle data and vehicle occupant data from one or external servers, determine the damages or potential damages resulting from the accident, and determine one or more accident recovery options or recommendations based on the accident damages. Various user interface screens may be generated and displayed via the user&#39;s mobile device and/or a vehicle-based display device to provide the user with accident information, damages, and recovery options or recommendations.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various aspects of the disclosure generally relate to systems andmethods of collecting and analyzing driving data and accident datarelating to vehicles and individuals. Specifically, various aspectsrelate to systems and methods of detecting or determining accidentsinvolving vehicles and individuals, collecting and analyzing accidentcharacteristics and other related data, and providing customizedaccident recovery services using vehicle-based systems and/or mobilecomputing devices of vehicle occupants.

BACKGROUND

The collection and analysis of driving data, such as the identificationof driving behaviors and traffic accidents, has many applications. Forexample, insurance companies and financial institutions may offer ratediscounts or other financial incentives to customers based on safedriving behaviors and accident-free driving records. Law enforcement orgovernment personnel may collect and analyze driving data and trafficaccident statistics to identify dangerous driving roads or times, and todetect moving violations and other unsafe driving behaviors. In othercases, driving data may be used for navigation applications, vehicletracking and monitoring applications, and on-board vehicle maintenanceapplications, among others.

Vehicle-based computer systems, such as on-board diagnostics (OBD)systems and telematics devices, may be used in automobiles and othervehicles, and may be capable of collecting various driving data andvehicle sensor data. For example, OBD systems may receive informationfrom the vehicle's on-board computers and sensors in order to monitor awide variety of information relating to the vehicle systems, such asengine RPM, emissions control, vehicle speed, throttle position,acceleration and braking rates, use of driver controls, etc. Vehiclesmay also include Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and devicesinstalled within or operating at the vehicle configured to collectvehicle location and time data. Such vehicle-based systems may becapable of collecting driving data which may be used to perform variousdriving data analyses such as statistical driving evaluations, driverscore calculations, etc. Vehicle-based systems also may be configured todetect the occurrence of traffic accidents, for instance, using vehiclebody impact sensors and airbag deployment sensors. However, not allvehicles are equipped with systems capable of collecting, analyzing, andcommunicating driving data. Moreover, a single vehicle may be used bymultiple different drivers, and conversely, a single driver may drivemultiple different vehicles. Thus, vehicle driving data and/or accidentrecords collected by vehicle-based systems might not include the vehicleoccupants that correspond to the collected driving and accident data.

In contrast to vehicle-based systems, mobile devices such assmartphones, personal digital assistants, tablet computers, and thelike, are often carried and/or operated by a single user. Some mobiledevices may include movement sensors, such as an accelerometer,gyroscope, speedometer, and/or GPS receivers, capable of detectingmovement.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosure. The summary is not anextensive overview of the disclosure. It is neither intended to identifykey or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope ofthe disclosure. The following summary merely presents some concepts ofthe disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the descriptionbelow.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to systems, apparatuses,computer-implemented methods, and computer-readable media fordetermining that vehicle accidents have occurred, collecting andanalyzing accident characteristics and other related data, and providingcustomized accident recovery services. In some cases, a mobile computingdevice within a moving vehicle may be configured to detect that anaccident involving the vehicle has occurred. The mobile computing devicemay detect an accident using movement and location sensors on thedevice, or may establish communication with one or more vehicle-baseddevices (e.g., a vehicle control computer, on-board diagnostic system,telematics device, etc.) to receive accident indication data from thevehicle. After determining that an accident has occurred, the mobiledevice and/or vehicle-based systems may be configured to determineaccident characteristics, retrieve vehicle data and vehicle occupantdata from one or external servers, determine the damages or potentialdamages resulting from the accident, and determine one or more accidentrecovery options or recommendations based on the accident damages.Various user interface screens may be generated and displayed via theuser's mobile device and/or a vehicle-based display device to providethe user with accident information, damages, and recovery options orrecommendations. The determined damages may include actual and/orpotential medical injuries to the vehicle occupants, as well as actualand/or potential property damage from the accident. Accident recoveryoptions and recommendations may include, for example, required orsuggested vehicle repairs, vehicle repair locations and estimates,required or suggested medical care for the vehicle occupants, insurancedeterminations, automatic initiation of insurance claims and titletransfer processes, transportation and legal services, and the like.

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent fromthe additional description provided herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention and theadvantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the followingdescription in consideration of the accompanying drawings, in which likereference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates computing systems and a network environment that maybe used to implement aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an example vehicle accident detection and recovery system,including vehicle-based systems, a personal mobile device, and variousexternal servers accessible via a communication network, according toone or more aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method of determining avehicle accident, and generating and displaying an accident recoveryuser interface based on various accident characteristics and/or vehicleand individual data, according to one or more aspects of the disclosure.

FIGS. 4A-4H are example user interface display screens of a mobilecomputing device illustrating various functionality and features of anaccident detection and recovery system, according to one or more aspectsof the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of the various embodiments, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and inwhich is shown by way of illustration, various embodiments of thedisclosure that may be practiced. It is to be understood that otherembodiments may be utilized.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art upon reading thefollowing disclosure, various aspects described herein may be embodiedas a method, a computer system, or a computer program product.Accordingly, those aspects may take the form of an entirely hardwareembodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combiningsoftware and hardware aspects. Furthermore, such aspects may take theform of a computer program product stored by one or morecomputer-readable storage media having computer-readable program code,or instructions, embodied in or on the storage media. Any suitablecomputer readable storage media may be utilized, including hard disks,CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, and/or anycombination thereof. In addition, various signals representing data orevents as described herein may be transferred between a source and adestination in the form of electromagnetic waves traveling throughsignal-conducting media such as metal wires, optical fibers, and/orwireless transmission media (e.g., air and/or space).

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a computing device (or system) 101in a computer system 100 that may be used according to one or moreillustrative embodiments of the disclosure. The device 101 may have aprocessor 103 for controlling overall operation of the device 101 andits associated components, including RAM 105, ROM 107, input/outputmodule 109, and memory 115. The computing device 101, along with one ormore additional devices (e.g., terminals 141 and 151, security andintegration hardware 160) may correspond to any of multiple systems ordevices, such as a personal mobile computing device, a vehicle-basedcomputing system, or a computer server, configured as described hereinfor determining vehicle accidents, collecting and analyzing accidentcharacteristics and other related data, and providing customizedaccident recovery services.

Input/Output (I/O) 109 may include a microphone, keypad, touch screen,and/or stylus through which a user of the computing device 101 mayprovide input, and may also include one or more of a speaker forproviding audio output and a video display device for providing textual,audiovisual and/or graphical output. Software may be stored withinmemory 115 and/or storage to provide instructions to processor 103 forenabling device 101 to perform various actions. For example, memory 115may store software used by the device 101, such as an operating system117, application programs 119, and an associated internal database 121.The various hardware memory units in memory 115 may include volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Certaindevices/systems within an accident detection and recovery system mayhave minimum hardware requirements in order to support sufficientstorage capacity, analysis capacity, network communication, etc. Forinstance, in some embodiments, one or more nonvolatile hardware memoryunits having a minimum size (e.g., at least 1 gigabyte (GB), 2 GB, 5 GB,etc.), and/or one or more volatile hardware memory units having aminimum size (e.g., 256 megabytes (MB), 512 MB, 1 GB, etc.) may be usedin a device 101 (e.g., a mobile computing device 101, vehicle-basedcomputing system 101, external server 101, etc.), in order to store andexecute an accident detection and recovery software application, collectand analyze accident data, determine accident characteristics, retrievedata associated with the vehicle and/or vehicle occupants, determine andprovide various accident recovery services to users, etc. Memory 115also may include one or more physical persistent memory devices and/orone or more non-persistent memory devices. Memory 115 may include, butis not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 105, read only memory(ROM) 107, electronically erasable programmable read only memory(EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium that can be used to store the desired informationand that can be accessed by processor 103.

Processor 103 may include a single central processing unit (CPU), whichmay be a single-core or multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core,quad-core, etc.), or may include multiple CPUs. Processor(s) 103 mayhave various bit sizes (e.g., 16-bit, 32-bit, 64-bit, 96-bit, 128-bit,etc.) and various processor speeds (ranging from 100 MHz to 5 Ghz orfaster). Processor(s) 103 and its associated components may allow thesystem 101 to execute a series of computer-readable instructions, forexample, to execute an accident detection and recovery softwareapplication that receives and stores accident data from vehicle-basedsystems, mobile computing devices, and/or external servers, analyzes theaccident data, and determines characteristics and related data toprovide custom accident recovery services.

The computing device (e.g., a mobile computing device, a vehicle-baseddevice, external server, etc.) may operate in a networked environment100 supporting connections to one or more remote computers, such asterminals 141 and 151. The terminals 141 and 151 may be personalcomputers, servers (e.g., web servers, database servers), or mobilecommunication devices (e.g., mobile phones, portable computing devices,on-board vehicle-based computing systems, and the like), and may includesome or all of the elements described above with respect to thecomputing device 101. The network connections depicted in FIG. 1 includea local area network (LAN) 125 and a wide area network (WAN) 129, and awireless telecommunications network 133, but may also include othernetworks. When used in a LAN networking environment, the computingdevice 101 may be connected to the LAN 125 through a network interfaceor adapter 123. When used in a WAN networking environment, the device101 may include a modem 127 or other means for establishingcommunications over the WAN 129, such as network 131 (e.g., theInternet). When used in a wireless telecommunications network 133, thedevice 101 may include one or more transceivers, digital signalprocessors, and additional circuitry and software for communicating withwireless computing devices 141 (e.g., mobile phones, portable computingdevices, on-board vehicle-based computing systems, etc.) via one or morenetwork devices 135 (e.g., base transceiver stations) in the wirelessnetwork 133.

Also illustrated in FIG. 1 is a security and integration layer 160,through which communications may be sent and managed between the device101 (e.g., a user's personal mobile device, a vehicle-based system, anaccident detection and recovery server or other external server, etc.)and the remote devices (141 and 151) and remote networks (125, 129, and133). The security and integration layer 160 may comprise one or moreseparate computing devices, such as web servers, authentication servers,and/or various networking components (e.g., firewalls, routers,gateways, load balancers, etc.), having some or all of the elementsdescribed above with respect to the computing device 101. As an example,a security and integration layer 160 of a mobile computing device,vehicle-based device, or a server operated by an insurance provider,financial institution, governmental entity, or other organization, maycomprise a set of web application servers configured to use secureprotocols and to insulate the server 101 from external devices 141 and151. In some cases, the security and integration layer 160 maycorrespond to a set of dedicated hardware and/or software operating atthe same physical location and under the control of same entities asdriving data analysis server 101. For example, layer 160 may correspondto one or more dedicated web servers and network hardware in anorganizational datacenter or in a cloud infrastructure supporting acloud-based driving data analysis system. In other examples, thesecurity and integration layer 160 may correspond to separate hardwareand software components which may be operated at a separate physicallocation and/or by a separate entity.

As discussed below, the data transferred to and from various devices inthe computing system 100 may include secure and sensitive data, such asdriving data, driving locations, vehicle data, and confidentialindividual data such as insurance data and medical data associated withvehicle occupants. Therefore, it may be desirable to protecttransmissions of such data by using secure network protocols andencryption, and also to protect the integrity of the data when stored onin a database or other storage in a mobile device, driving data analysisserver, or other computing devices in the system 100, by using thesecurity and integration layer 160 to authenticate users and restrictaccess to unknown or unauthorized users. In various implementations,security and integration layer 160 may provide, for example, afile-based integration scheme or a service-based integration scheme fortransmitting data between the various devices in a system 100. Data maybe transmitted through the security and integration layer 160, usingvarious network communication protocols. Secure data transmissionprotocols and/or encryption may be used in file transfers to protect tointegrity of the driving data, for example, File Transfer Protocol(FTP), Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), and/or Pretty Good Privacy(PGP) encryption. In other examples, one or more web services may beimplemented within the various devices 101 in the system 100 and/or thesecurity and integration layer 160. The web services may be accessed byauthorized external devices and users to support input, extraction, andmanipulation of the data (e.g., driving data, location data,confidential personal data, etc.) between the various devices 101 in thesystem 100. Web services built to support system 100 may be cross-domainand/or cross-platform, and may be built for enterprise use. Such webservices may be developed in accordance with various web servicestandards, such as the Web Service Interoperability (WS-I) guidelines.In some examples, a movement data and/or driving data web service may beimplemented in the security and integration layer 160 using the SecureSockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol toprovide secure connections between servers 101 and various clients 141and 151 (e.g., mobile devices, data analysis servers, etc.). SSL or TLSmay use HTTP or HTTPS to provide authentication and confidentiality. Inother examples, such web services may be implemented using theWS-Security standard, which provides for secure SOAP messages using XMLencryption. In still other examples, the security and integration layer160 may include specialized hardware for providing secure web services.For example, secure network appliances in the security and integrationlayer 160 may include built-in features such as hardware-accelerated SSLand HTTPS, WS-Security, and firewalls. Such specialized hardware may beinstalled and configured in the security and integration layer 160 infront of the web servers, so that any external devices may communicatedirectly with the specialized hardware.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, various elements within memory 115 orother components in system 100, may include one or more caches, forexample, CPU caches used by the processing unit 103, page caches used bythe operating system 117, disk caches of a hard drive, and/or databasecaches used to cache content from database 121. For embodimentsincluding a CPU cache, the CPU cache may be used by one or moreprocessors in the processing unit 103 to reduce memory latency andaccess time. In such examples, a processor 103 may retrieve data from orwrite data to the CPU cache rather than reading/writing to memory 115,which may improve the speed of these operations. In some examples, adatabase cache may be created in which certain data from a database 121(e.g., a driving or accident database, a vehicle database, insurancecustomer database, etc.) is cached in a separate smaller database on anapplication server separate from the database server. For instance, in amulti-tiered application, a database cache on an application server canreduce data retrieval and data manipulation time by not needing tocommunicate over a network with a back-end database server. These typesof caches and others may be included in various embodiments, and mayprovide potential advantages in certain implementations of retrievingdriving, vehicle data, and individual data, such as faster responsetimes and less dependence on network conditions whentransmitting/receiving accident detection and recovery softwareapplications (or application updates), driving data, vehicle andoccupant data, etc.

It will be appreciated that the network connections shown areillustrative and other means of establishing a communications linkbetween the computers may be used. The existence of any of variousnetwork protocols such as TCP/IP, Ethernet, FTP, HTTP and the like, andof various wireless communication technologies such as GSM, CDMA, WiFi,and WiMAX, is presumed, and the various computer devices and systemcomponents described herein may be configured to communicate using anyof these network protocols or technologies.

Additionally, one or more application programs 119 may be used by thevarious computing devices 101 within an accident detection and recoverysystem 100 (e.g., accident detection software applications, customizedaccident recovery software applications, etc.), including computerexecutable instructions for receiving and storing driving data fromvehicle-based systems and/or mobile computing devices, analyzing thedriving data to determine accidents and accident characteristics,retrieve various vehicle data and individual data relating the vehicleoccupants, determining and providing custom accident recovery servicesbased on the retrieved data, and performing other related functions asdescribed herein.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example accident detection and recoverysystem 200. In this example, the system 200 includes a vehicle 210containing a number of vehicle-based systems 211-215, and a personalmobile device 220 containing a number of software and/or hardwarecomponents. The vehicle 210 and the personal mobile device 220 maycommunicate with each other wireless networks or wired connections(e.g., for devices physically docked in vehicles), and each maycommunicate with one or more additional vehicles 210 a-210 c, additionalmobile computing devices, and/or a number of external computer servers250 a-250 d over one or more communication networks 240.

As discussed below, the components of accident detection and recoverysystem 200, operating individually or using communication andcollaborative interaction, may perform such features and functions suchas determining vehicle accidents and accident characteristics,retrieving data associated with the vehicle and/or vehicle occupants,determining and providing customized accident recovery services tousers, and the like. To perform such features and functions, thecomponents shown in FIG. 2 each may be implemented in hardware,software, or a combination of the two. Additionally, each component ofthe accident detection and recovery system 200 may include a computingdevice (or system) having some or all of the structural componentsdescribed above for computing device 101, such as processors, memoryunits storing operating systems and applications, network interfaces,I/O components, and the like. As shown in FIG. 2, certain accidentdetection and recovery systems 200 may include a mobile device 220located within a vehicle 210, such as a driver's or passengerssmartphone, tablet computer, or other personal mobile device. In otherexamples, accident detection and recovery systems 200 may includecommunication and collaboration among one or more vehicles 210 and/ormultiple mobile devices 220 which may be within a single vehicle 210 orwithin multiple different vehicles 210. As discussed below, someexamples of accident detection and recovery systems 200 may include thevehicle-based systems (e.g., 214) of a single vehicle 210, and suchsystems may perform the features and functionality without needing tocommunicate or collaborate with any mobile devices 220 and/or otherexternal devices and systems. Other examples of accident detection andrecovery systems 200 may include only a mobile device 220 executing oneor more software applications (e.g., 222), and such systems may performthe features and functionality without needing to communicate with anyvehicles or vehicle-based systems, and/or any other external devices andsystems.

Vehicles 210, 210 a, 210 b, and 210 c (collectively “vehicles 210”) inthe accident detection and recovery system 200 may be, for example,automobiles, motorcycles, scooters, buses, recreational vehicles, boats,or any other vehicles that may potentially be involved in accidents.Each vehicle 210 may include vehicle operation sensors 211 capable ofdetecting and recording various conditions at the vehicle andoperational parameters of the vehicle. For example, sensors 211 maydetect and store data corresponding to the vehicle's location (e.g., GPScoordinates), time, travel time, speed and direction, rates ofacceleration or braking, gas mileage, and specific instances of suddenacceleration, braking, swerving, and distance traveled. Sensors 211 alsomay detect and store data received from the vehicle's 210 internalsystems, such as impact to the body of the vehicle, air bag deployment,headlights usage, brake light operation, door opening and closing, doorlocking and unlocking, cruise control usage, hazard lights usage,windshield wiper usage, horn usage, turn signal usage, seat belt usage,phone and radio usage within the vehicle, autonomous driving systemusage, maintenance performed on the vehicle, and other data collected bythe vehicle's computer systems, including the vehicle OBD.

Additional sensors 211 may detect and store the external drivingconditions, for example, external temperature, rain, snow, light levels,and sun position for driver visibility. For example, external camerasand proximity sensors 211 may detect other nearby vehicles, vehiclespacing, traffic levels, road conditions, traffic obstructions, animals,cyclists, pedestrians, and other conditions that may relate to vehicleaccidents and accident characteristics. Sensors 211 also may detect andstore data relating to moving violations and the observance of trafficsignals and signs by the vehicles 210. Additional sensors 211 may detectand store data relating to the maintenance of the vehicles 210, such asthe engine status, oil level, engine coolant temperature, odometerreading, the level of fuel in the fuel tank, engine revolutions perminute (RPMs), software upgrades, and/or tire pressure.

Vehicles sensors 211 also may include cameras and/or proximity sensorscapable of recording conditions inside or outside of the vehicles 210.For example, internal cameras may detect conditions such as the identityof the driver (e.g., using facial recognition software), the number ofthe occupants, the types of occupants (e.g. adults, children, teenagers,pets, etc.), and the seating/positioning of the occupants in thevehicles. Internal cameras also may detect potential sources of driverdistraction within the vehicle, such as pets, phone usage, and unsecuredobjects in the vehicle. Sensors 211 also may be configured to collectdata identifying a current driver from among a number of differentpossible drivers, for example, based on driver's seat and mirrorpositioning, driving times and routes, radio usage, etc. Sensors 211also may be configured to collect data relating to a driver's movementsor the condition of a driver. For example, vehicles 210 may includesensors that monitor a driver's movements, such as the driver's eyeposition and/or head position, etc. Additional sensors 211 may collectdata regarding the physical or mental state of the driver, such asfatigue or intoxication. The condition of the driver may be determinedthrough the movements of the driver or through other sensors, forexample, sensors that detect the content of alcohol in the air or bloodalcohol content of the driver, such as a breathalyzer.

Certain vehicle sensors 211 also may collect information regarding thevehicle's location, current and past driving routes, in order toclassify the type of trip (e.g. work or school commute, shopping orrecreational trip, unknown new route, etc.). In certain embodiments,sensors and/or cameras 211 may determine when and how often the vehicles210 stay in a single lane or stray into other lanes. A GlobalPositioning System (GPS), locational sensors positioned inside thevehicles 210, and/or locational sensors or devices external to thevehicles 210 may be used to determine the route, lane position,road-type (e.g. highway, entrance/exit ramp, residential area, etc.) andother vehicle position/location data which may be used to analyzeaccidents and accident characteristics.

The data collected by vehicle sensors 211 may be stored and analyzedwithin the respective vehicles 210, for example, in optional accidentdetection and analysis devices 214 and/or accident detection andanalysis software applications 214, which may be integrated into orinstalled at the vehicle 210. In other cases, the data collected byvehicle sensors 211 may be transmitted to one or more external devicesfor analysis, such as a personal mobile device 220 or external server250. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 2, sensor data from one vehicle 210may be transmitted via a short-range communication systems 212 to othernearby vehicles 210 a-210, and vice versa. The sensor data also may betransmitted from vehicles 210 via a telematics device 213 or othernetwork interface(s) to one or more remote computing devices, such asone or more personal mobile devices 220, insurance system servers 250 a,and/or other external servers 250.

Short-range communication systems 212 may be vehicle-based datatransmission systems configured to transmit various (e.g., driving data,vehicle data, insurance data, driver and passenger data, etc.) to othernearby vehicles, and to receive corresponding data from other nearbyvehicles. In some examples, communication systems 212 may use thededicated short-range communications (DSRC) protocols and standards toperform wireless communications between vehicles. In the United States,75 MHz in the 5.850-5.925 GHz band have been allocated for DSRC systemsand applications, and various other DSRC allocations have been definedin other countries and jurisdictions. However, short-range communicationsystems 212 need not use DSRC, and may be implemented using othershort-range wireless protocols in other examples, such as WLANcommunication protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11), Bluetooth (e.g., IEEE802.15.1), or one or more of the Communication Access for Land Mobiles(CALM) wireless communication protocols and air interfaces. Thevehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) transmissions between the short-rangecommunication systems 212 may be sent via DSRC, Bluetooth, satellite,GSM infrared, IEEE 802.11, WiMAX, RFID, and/or any suitable wirelesscommunication media, standards, and protocols. In certain systems,short-range communication systems 212 may include specialized hardwareinstalled in vehicles 210 (e.g., transceivers, antennas, etc.), while inother examples the communication systems 212 may be implemented usingexisting vehicle hardware components (e.g., radio and satelliteequipment, navigation computers) or may be implemented by softwarerunning on the mobile devices 220 of drivers and passengers within thevehicles 210.

V2V communications also may include vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I)communications, such as transmissions from vehicles to non-vehiclereceiving devices, for example, toll booths, rail road crossings, androad-side traffic monitoring devices. Certain V2V communication systemsmay periodically broadcast data from a vehicle 210 to any other vehicle,or other infrastructure device capable of receiving the communication,within the range of the vehicle's transmission capabilities. The rangeof V2V communications and V2I communications may depend on the wirelesscommunication standards and protocols used, the transmission/receptionhardware (e.g., transceivers, power sources, antennas), and otherfactors. Short-range V2V (and V2I) communications may range from just afew feet to many miles, and different types of accident data andcharacteristics may be determined depending on the range of the V2Vcommunications. For example, V2V communications ranging only a few feetmay be sufficient for an accident detection device or application 214 ina vehicle 210 to determine which other vehicle(s) 210 were also involvedin the accident, as well as the angle of impact, an initial accidentcause or fault determination (e.g., one vehicle was tailgating orcut-off another vehicle), whereas longer communications may allow anaccident detection device or application 214 to determine additionaltypes of accident characteristics (e.g., weather conditions, trafficdensity, road conditions and other safety hazards, etc.).

When accident-related data, accident characteristics, vehicle data,driver or passenger data, or any other data is transmitted by vehicles210, the transmission may depend on the protocols and standards used forthe V2V and V2I communication, the range of communications, and otherfactors. In certain examples, vehicles 210 may periodically broadcastcorresponding sets of similar vehicle data, such as the vehicle'slocation (which may include an absolute location in GPS coordinates orother coordinate systems, and/or a relative location with respect toanother vehicle or a fixed point), speed, and direction of travel. Incertain examples, the nodes in a V2V communication system (e.g.,vehicles and other reception devices) may use internal clocks withsynchronized time signals, and may send transmission times within V2Vcommunications, so that the receiver may calculate its distance from thetransmitting node based on the difference between the transmission timeand the reception time. The state or usage of the vehicle's 210 controlsand instruments may also be transmitted, for example, whether thevehicle is accelerating, braking, turning, and by how much, and/or whichof the vehicle's instruments are currently activated by the driver(e.g., head lights, turn signals, hazard lights, cruise control, 4-wheeldrive, traction control, etc.). Vehicle warnings such as detection bythe vehicle's 210 internal systems that the vehicle is skidding, that animpact has occurred, or that the vehicle's airbags have been deployed,also may be transmitted in V2V communications.

As shown in FIG. 2, vehicles 210 may use telematics devices 213 totransmit data to and receive data from external servers 250, such asinsurance system servers 250 a, other external servers 250, and mobiledevices 220. Telematics devices 213 may be computing devices containingmany or all of the hardware/software components as the computing device101 depicted in FIG. 1. In some cases, telematics devices 213 mayreceive vehicle sensor data, operation data, and driving data fromvehicle sensors 211, and may transmit the data to one or more externalcomputer systems (e.g., insurance system server 250 a of an insurancecompany, financial institution, or other entity) over a wirelesstransmission network 240. The telematics devices 213 also may store thetype of their respective vehicles 210, for example, the make, model,trim (or sub-model), year, and/or engine specifications, as well asother information such as vehicle owner or driver information, insuranceinformation, warranty information, and financing information for thevehicles 210.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, telematics devices 213 may receive datafrom vehicle sensors 211, and may transmit the data to a mobile device220 or external server 250. However, in other examples, one or more ofthe vehicle sensors 211 or other vehicle-based systems may be configuredto receive and transmit data directly from or to other servers 250 ormobile devices 220 without using a telematics device. For instance,telematics devices 213 may be configured to receive and transmit datafrom certain vehicle sensors 211 or systems, while other sensors orsystems may be configured to directly receive and/or transmit data toexternal servers 250 or mobile devices 220 without using the telematicsdevice 213. Thus, telematics devices 213 may be optional in certainembodiments.

Accident detection and recovery systems 200 may also include one or moremobile devices 220. Mobile devices 220 may be, for example, smartphonesor other mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tabletcomputers, and the like, and may include some or all of the elementsdescribed above with respect to the computing device 101. As discussedbelow, a mobile device 220 within a vehicle 210 may, individually or bycommunication and collaboration with the vehicle 210 and/or othervehicles 210 or mobile devices 220, determine that the mobile device 220is in vehicle 210 that has been involved in an accident. The mobiledevice 220 may further receive and/or determine accidentcharacteristics, vehicle data, driver and passenger data, and the like,in order to provide customized accident recovery services. As usedherein, a mobile device 220 “within” a vehicle 210 refers to a mobiledevice 220 that is inside of or otherwise secured to a moving vehicle,for instance, mobile devices 220 in the cabins of automobiles, buses,recreational vehicles, mobile devices 220 traveling in open-air vehiclessuch as motorcycles, scooters, or boats, and mobile devices 220 in thepossession of drivers or passengers of vehicles 210. As shown in thisexample, a mobile device 210 may be configured to establishcommunication with vehicle-based devices and various internal componentsof vehicle 210 via wireless networks or wired connections (e.g., fordocked devices), whereby such mobile devices 220 may have secure accessto internal vehicle sensors 211 and other vehicle-based systems.However, in other examples, mobile device 220 might not connect tovehicle-based computing devices and internal components, but may operateindependently by communicating with vehicles 210 via standardcommunication interfaces (e.g., short-range communication systems 212,telematics devices 213, etc.), indirectly through external networks 240and servers 250, or might not communicate at all with vehicles 210.

Mobile devices 220 each may include a network interface 221, which mayinclude various network interface hardware (e.g., adapters, modems,wireless transceivers, etc.) and software components to enable mobiledevices 220 to communicate with external servers 250, vehicles 210, andvarious other external computing devices. One or more specializedsoftware applications, such as accident detection application and/oraccident recovery applications 222 may be stored in the memory of themobile device 220. The accident detection and/or accident recoveryapplication(s) 222 may be received via network interface 221 from theinsurance server 250 a, vehicles 210, or other application providers(e.g., public or private application stores). Certain accident detectionand recovery applications 222 might not include user interface screens(e.g., a driving analysis and accident determination application), whileother applications 222 may include user interface screens that supportuser interaction (e.g., an accident recovery application). Suchapplications 222 and may be configured to run as user-initiatedapplications or as background applications. The memory of mobile device220 also may include databases configured to receive and store accidentdata, vehicle data, driver or passenger data, insurance data, and thelike, associated with one or more drivers and/or vehicles. Although thissection describes various accident detection and/or accident recoverysoftware application(s) 222 as executing on mobile devices 220, invarious other implementations, some or all of the accident detection andrecovery functionality described herein may be implemented within thevehicle 210, via specialized hardware and/or software applicationswithin a vehicle-based system, such as a specialized accident detectionand/or recovery hardware device 214, or as software within a telematicsdevice 213 or a vehicle control computer 215, etc.

Like the vehicle-based computing devices in vehicles 210, mobile devices220 also may include various components configured to generate and/orreceive accident data, vehicle data and driver data, or other relevantdata for accident detection and recovery. For example, using data frommovement sensors 223 (e.g., 1-axis, 2-axis, or 3-axis accelerometers,compasses, speedometers, vibration sensors, gyroscopic sensors, etc.)and/or GPS receivers or other location-based services (LBS) 224, anapplication 222 may determine that the mobile device 220 is in a movingvehicle, that a driving trip has started or stopped, and/or that avehicle accident has occurred. The movement sensors 223 and/or GPSreceiver or LBS component 224 of a mobile device 220 may also be used todetermine driving speeds, routes, accident force and angle of impact,and other accident characteristics and accident-related data.

Mobile computing devices 220 within vehicles may be used to directlydetect accident data and characteristics and/or to receive accident dataand characteristics from vehicle-based systems. For example, mobilecomputing device 220 may transmit driving data and accident data, driverdata, vehicle data, etc., directly to one or more insurance servers 250a, and thus may be used in conjunction with or instead of telematicsdevices 213. Additionally, mobile computing devices 220 may beconfigured to perform the V2V and V2I communications described above, byestablishing connections and transmitting/receiving vehicle driving dataand accident data to and from other nearby vehicles. Thus, mobilecomputing device 220 may be used in conjunction with, or instead of,short-range communication system 212 in some examples. In addition,mobile computing device 220 may be used in conjunction with the vehiclecontrol computers 215 for purposes of vehicle control and diagnostics.Moreover, the processing components of the mobile computing devices 220may be used to identify the drivers and passengers and the time of anaccident, analyze accident data and determine accident characteristics,store or update insurance coverage information, and perform otherrelated functions. Therefore, in certain embodiments, mobile computingdevices 220 may be used in conjunction with, or in place of, theinsurance system server 250 a or other external servers 250.

The system 200 also may include one or more external servers 250, suchas insurance system servers 250 a, an individual data source servers 250b, vehicle data source servers 250 c, and other servers 250 d, each ofwhich may contain some or all of the hardware/software components as thecomputing device 101 depicted in FIG. 1. External servers 250 maycommunicate with vehicles 210, vehicle-based systems 211-215, and mobiledevices 220 via one or more communication networks 240. In this example,insurance servers 250 a may store insurance data for vehicles and/orcustomers, including insurance premiums, coverage conditions andamounts, policies deductibles and other insurance policy details, aswell as driving histories and accident records for customers andvehicles. Vehicle data sources 250 b may be, for example, governmentalvehicle record servers, vehicle dealership servers, vehicle maintenancerecord servers, etc. Certain vehicle data sources servers 250 b maystore individual vehicle data, for example, a particular vehicle's make,model, year, trim, and any optional features and accessories purchasedwith the vehicle, as well as the vehicle's VIN, current mileage,accident history, maintenance history, warranty coverage, financingdetails, etc. In contrast, the same or other vehicle data sourcesservers 250 b may store vehicle data that is not specific to anindividual vehicle, such as vehicle safety records, reliability data,depreciation and trade-in values for different vehicle makes, models,and features. Individual data sources 250 c may be, for example,governmental or insurance servers, medical record servers, employerservers, social network servers, etc. Individual data sources servers250 c may include any server storing relevant data relating to anindividual driver or passenger that may be involved in a vehicleaccident, for example, the physical attributes of the individual (e.g.,age, gender, height, weight, etc.) and medical data for the individual(e.g., current medical conditions, accident histories, etc.). Additionaldata source servers 250 d may include, for example, weather datasources, traffic and road condition data sources, vehicle repair datasources providing repair estimates and appointment scheduling, medicalprovider data sources providing information and appointment scheduling,legal services data sources, data sources providing towing, taxi, orrental car services, etc. As discussed below, the data from externalservers 250 may be used to determine the potential vehicle damages andhuman medical damages resulting from a vehicle accident, and providecustomized accident recovery recommendations and services to vehicleowners and occupants.

Referring to FIG. 3, a flow diagram is shown illustrating a process ofdetermining that a vehicle accident has occurred, and generating anddisplaying an accident recovery user interface based on various accidentcharacteristics, vehicle data, and/or individual data associated withthe accident. FIGS. 4A-4H, discussed below in conjunction with FIG. 3,show example user interface display screens of a mobile computing devicethat illustrate various functionality and features of an accidentdetection and recovery system. As discussed below, the process steps andfunctionality described in reference to FIGS. 3 and 4A-4H may beperformed by a single mobile computing device 220, such as a smartphone,tablet computer, or PDA of a vehicle driver or passenger. However, inother examples, the process steps and functionality described inreference to FIG. 3, and the user interface display screens shown inFIGS. 4A-4H, may be performed by and displayed on vehicle-based systems,such as vehicle control computers 215, telematics devices 213, on-boardnavigation systems, or specialized vehicle-based accident detection andrecovery devices 214. In still other examples, some features of FIG. 3may be performed by a mobile computing device 220, while others areperformed by a vehicle-based system. Additionally, as discussed below,vehicle-based systems and/or mobile computing devices 220 maycommunicate and collaborate with the various external servers 250 tocommunicate accident data, accident characteristics, vehicle data and/orindividual data relating a vehicle accident.

In step 301, a determination may be made that one or more vehicles 210has been involved in an accident. In some cases, the determination in301 may be performed entirely by a mobile computing device 220 withinthe vehicle 210, without communicating or collaborating with the vehicle210, any vehicle-based devices 211-215, or any other device. Forexample, one or more software applications 222 executing in the mobiledevice 220 may be configured to monitor the movement sensors 223 and/orGPS receiver or other location-based services (LBS) 224 of the mobiledevice 220 in order to detect events such as: (i) when the mobilecomputing device 220 is within (e.g., in or secured to) a movingvehicle; (ii) the beginnings and ends of driving trips; and (iii)vehicle accidents during driving trips. For instance, a driving trip maybe detected by the mobile device by periodically sampling accelerationdata, speed data, and/or gyroscopic data and comparing this data tospeed profiles, rotation profiles, and/or acceleration profilesconsistent with driving behavior. GPS or LBS 224 may also be used todetermine (or confirm) that the mobile device 220 is within a vehicle210 during a driving trip, for instance, by comparing the time andlocation data of mobile device 220 to street map/navigational data. Thecurrent speed of the mobile device 220, which may be determined bytracking acceleration data over time and/or using GPS or LBS data, maybe compared to speed limit data along the streets and roads driven toverify that the mobile device 220 is likely within a vehicle rather thanbe carried by a walker, runner, or bicyclists, etc.

Vehicle accidents may be detected by the mobile device 220, for example,by identifying a short spike in positive or negative accelerationreadings from an accelerometer 223. In some cases, any accelerationreading over a predetermined threshold may be identified by an accidentdetection software application 222 as a potential accident. In othercases, a short spike in positive or negative acceleration may beidentified as a potential accident only if the mobile device 220 haspreviously been determined to be in a vehicle being driven and/or onlyif the current location of the mobile device 220 corresponds to astreet, highway, parking lots, or other location accessible to a vehicle210. In certain examples, additional data such as audio or video datacollected by the mobile device 220 and/or impact sensors or the mobiledevice 220 may be used to determine that the mobile device 220 is withina vehicle 210 that has been involved in an accident.

In some embodiments, rather than the mobile device 220 directlydetecting a vehicle accident, the mobile device 220 may receive anindication of an accident from the vehicle 210. For instance, whenapproaching or entering a vehicle 210, the mobile device may beconfigured to establish communication with one or more vehicle basedsystems (e.g., 211-215), allowing the mobile device 220 to receivevehicle sensor data, diagnostic data, location data, V2V data, and anyother data from the vehicle 210. In some cases, the personal mobiledevices 220 of a vehicle's owner, family members or other frequent usersof a vehicle 210 may be pre-authorized to connect and receive data froma vehicle 210 whenever the pre-authorized mobile devices 220 approach orenter the vehicle 210. In such examples, when a mobile device 220 is notpre-authorized to connect and receive data from a vehicle 210, a manualauthorization process may be initiated at the mobile device 220 and/orat the vehicle 210 when the mobile device 220 approaches the vehicle210, or the vehicle and/or mobile device 220 may be configured so thatallow only a subset of the driving data/vehicle data may be providedfrom the vehicle 210 to the unauthorized (or guest) mobile device 220.

When a mobile device 220 is able to establish a connection andcommunication session with a vehicle 210, the mobile device 220 mayreceive data from one or more of the vehicle-based systems (e.g.,211-215), including driving data and accident data. In such cases, anaccident detection application 222 executing on the mobile device 220may receive sensor data from vehicle operation sensors 211 or othervehicle-based systems, such as a vehicle speed and acceleration data, avehicle body impact indicator, an airbag deployment indicator, or anyother vehicle data. The accident detection application 222 may analyzethe accident indicators and/or other data received from the vehicle 210to determine in step 301 that the vehicle has been involved in anaccident.

Referring to FIG. 4A, a mobile device 220 is shown displaying an exampleuser interface screen generated by an accident detection and/or recoveryapplication 222. In this example, application 222 has determined thatthe mobile device 220 is in a vehicle 210 that was potentially involvedin an accident. As discussed above in step 301, this determination maybe performed solely by the mobile device 220 or in conjunction with thevehicle 210 and/or other external devices (e.g., V2V systems in othervehicles 210, roadside cameras and traffic servers 250, etc.). In FIG.4A, an accident detection alert 400 a is displayed to the user of themobile device 220. The accident detection alert 400 a may be accompaniedsound, vibration, and/or other notification technique to alert the userof the event. In this example, the make and model of the vehicle havealso been identified and displayed in the alert (e.g., based on datareceived from the vehicle 210, insurance server 250 a, etc.). In otherexamples, if the vehicle 210 involved in the accident cannot bedetermined automatically by the accident detection and/or recoveryapplication 222, the application 222 may prompt the user to input thevehicle information (e.g., make, model, trim, year, features, etc.) intothe mobile device.

In FIG. 4A, three response options are provided for the user of themobile device 220 with the accident detection alert. The user mayconfirm that an accident has occurred and indicate that emergencyassistance is required (401 a), confirm that an accident has occurredand indicate that emergency assistance is not required (402 a), orindicate that an accident has not occurred (403 a). Such false positivedeterminations in step 301 may result from, for example, a user throwingor dropping their mobile device 220, or a vehicle accident in a firstvehicle 210 that communicates in error with mobile devices 220 indifferent nearby vehicles.

In step 302, one or more accident characteristics may be received and/ordetermined corresponding to the accident identified in step 301. Theaccident characteristics in step 302 may be determined by and/orreceived from a mobile device 220, one or more vehicle-based systems211-215 of a vehicle 210 involved in the accident, one or morevehicle-based systems 211-215 of other vehicles 210 near the accident,one or more external servers 250 (e.g., weather servers, trafficservers, road condition servers, etc.), or any combination of thesedevices. As discussed below, the accident characteristics receivedand/or determined in step 302 may be used to identifyestimated/potential damages resulting from the accident. Thus, theaccident characteristics received and/or determined in step 302 mayinclude the number and types of each vehicle 210 involved in theaccident (e.g., make, model, vehicle class, height, weight, etc.),descriptions of any other non-vehicle objects involved in the accident(e.g., posts, signs, trees, animals, bicyclists, pedestrians, etc.), thespeed(s) of the vehicle(s) just before the accident, the location andangle of impact to/from each vehicle 210, the time and day of theaccident, the accident location and type of road (e.g., highway,residential street, parking lot, etc.), and the traffic conditions,weather conditions, road conditions, visibility conditions, at the like,at the time of the accident. Additional accident characteristicsreceived and/or determined in step 302 may include the numbers andidentities of the driver and passengers in the vehicle 210, the seatinglocations of each passenger in the vehicle 210 at the time of theaccident, and the presence and location of any bicycles, skies,snowboards, golf clubs, and other items of value in or on the vehicle atthe time of the accident.

As noted above, the accident characteristics may be determined in step302 by mobile devices 220, vehicles 210, and/or one or more externalservers 250. For example, a mobile device 220 may use movement sensors223 and GPS and LBS location systems 224 to determine vehicle speed atthe time of the accident, angle of impact, accident time and location,etc. For accident characteristics such as the point of impact on thevehicle body, the force of the impact, and vehicle diagnostic datarelating to the accident (e.g., airbags deployed, windows broken, fluidsleaking, etc.), the mobile device 220 may receive these accidentcharacteristics directly or indirectly from the vehicle 210 and/orvehicle-based devices (e.g., 211-215). For additional accidentcharacteristics, such as the weather conditions, traffic conditions,road conditions and visibility conditions at the time and location ofthe accident, the mobile device may receive these accidentcharacteristics directly or indirectly from one or more external servers250.

In some examples, an accident detection and recovery application 222 maygenerate a list of the potential vehicle damages and repairs/inspectionsneeded based on the accident characteristics received and/or determinedin step 302. For instance, referring to FIG. 4B, an example userinterface screen 400 b is shown displaying a set of accidentcharacteristics received or determined by the accident detection andrecovery application 222 in step 302. In this example, the accidentcharacteristics determined by the application 222 include the locationof the accident 401 b, the type of impact 402 b, and the number/names ofpassengers in the vehicle 403 b. In some implementations, a userinterface screen 400 b may be configured to allow the user to confirmthe accident information that has been received or determined by themobile device 220, and to allow the user to input addition accidentinformation (e.g., passenger names and seating locations, descriptionsof body damage or leaking fluids, information identifying the othervehicle(s) and driver(s) involved in the accident, etc.). In such cases,the accident characteristics determined in step 302, including accidentdata automatically determined by the mobile device 220, accident datareceived from various other devices, and any accident data input,edited, or confirmed by the user, may be stored in an accident report onthe mobile 220 and/or transmitted to one or more other devices in thesystem 200 (e.g., an insurance server 250 a).

In step 303, data relating to one or more vehicle and/or individuals inthe accident may be retrieved by the accident detection and recoveryapplication 222 of the mobile device 220. As discussed below in moredetail, the vehicle data and/or individual data retrieved in step 303may be used to identify and estimate potential medical damages andvehicle damages that may have occurred from the accident, and todetermine accident recovery recommendations based on the damages.However, certain types of potential medical damages and vehicle damages,and the corresponding accident recovery recommendations, may bedetermined based only on the one or more accident characteristicsretrieved in step 302 (e.g., vehicle types, vehicle speeds, impacttypes, accident location, passengers in car, etc.). Thus, step 303 maybe optional in some cases.

The individual data retrieved in step 303 may include physicalcharacteristics, medical data, and any other data relevant todetermining potential damages or injuries to the driver or passengers inthe vehicle 210 at the time of the accident. As discussed above in step302, the number and identities of the vehicle's occupants during theaccident may be determined automatically by mobile devices 220 (e.g., byassuming device owner is in vehicle, determining family and friends invehicle based on communication with other mobile devices 220, drivingroutes, etc.) and/or by vehicle-based devices 210 (e.g., using vehicleoperation settings, driving behaviors and profiles, driving routes, seatweight sensors, internal cameras and facial recognition software, etc.).Additionally, number and identities of the vehicle's occupants duringthe accident may be determined based on user input into a user interfacescreen on the mobile device 220 (e.g., a dropdown list of family membersand friends, text boxes for inputting new passenger information, etc.).Using the identifying information of the driver and passengers (e.g.,names, addresses, dates of birth, relationship data, social securitynumbers, etc.), the accident detection and recovery application 222 maysend a request to one or more external servers 250 to retrieve moredetailed information about the individuals. For example, application 222may contact an insurance server 250 a, governmental server 250 b,medical provider server 250 b, social networking server 250 b, or anyother available data source 250 b to retrieve the ages, physicalattributes (e.g., height and weight), and medical histories and medicalconditions (e.g., previous injuries, previous accidents, allergies,current medications, recent surgeries, pacemakers, etc.). Additionally,application 222 may contact an insurance server 250 a or other datasource to retrieve insurance coverages and policy details (e.g.,automobile insurance types, liability limits, comprehensive limits,damage deductibles, number of previous accidents, etc.) for each of thevehicle occupants at the time of the accident.

In addition to individual data, vehicle data may be retrieved in step303 corresponding to the vehicle(s) 210 involved in the accident.Vehicle information retrieved in step 303 may include for example, thetype and physical characteristics of the vehicle (e.g., make, model,trim, year, engine specifications, optional features, paint color,etc.), current vehicle mileage, vehicle warranty information, vehiclemaintenance records, previous vehicle accident records and insuranceclaims, etc. In order to retrieve such vehicle information in step 303,an accident detection and recovery application 222 on the mobile device220 may send a request to an insurance server 250 a, governmentalvehicle database 250 c, dealership vehicle database 250 c, vehiclerepair shop database 250 c, or other data source, using one or morevehicle identifiers (e.g., VINs, license plate numbers, owner andregistration address, insurance account numbers, etc.) to retrieve thedetailed vehicle information. Additional vehicle information retrievedin step 303 may include data that is not specific to an individualvehicle, such as vehicle safety records, reliability data, depreciationand trade-in values for different vehicle makes, models, and years.

Steps 304-306, discussed below, relate to the determination of potentialdamages from the vehicle accident (step 304), the determination ofaccident recovery options and recommendations (step 305), and thegeneration and presentation of the potential damages and recoveryoptions to the user (step 306). Several examples of user interfacescreens generated based on potential accident damages and accidentrecovery options are also shown in FIGS. 4C-4H, which are also discussedbelow in connection with steps 304-306.

In step 304, the accident characteristics determined in step 302 and/orthe individual and vehicle data retrieved in step 303 may be analyzed toidentify the types and amounts of potential damages resulting from theaccident. The potential damages determined in step 304 may includemedical damages (e.g., injuries and potential injuries) to occupants ofthe vehicle 210 or other individuals involved in the accident (e.g.,occupants in other vehicles 210 a-210 c, bicyclists, pedestrians, etc.).Such medical damages may be based on the characteristics of the accident(e.g., the speed and direction of travel of the vehicle(s) just beforethe accident, the impact point on the vehicle 210, the model type, curbweight, and safety features and ratings of the vehicle(s) involved inthe accident, which airbags were deployed by the vehicle 210, etc.), aswell as information about the occupants of the vehicle 210 (e.g.,seating positions within the vehicle 210, ages, heights and weights,medical histories and current medical conditions, etc.). For instance,an accident detection and recovery application 222 may compare theaccident characteristics to different accident impact types andpredetermined speed thresholds (e.g., rear impact>10 MPH, side impact>15MPH, front impact>10 MPH, glancing impact>25 MPH, etc.) to determine ifthe vehicle occupants should be examined for potential back and neckdamage and/or concussions. In some cases, the accident detection andrecovery application 222 may determine and implement different speedimpact thresholds (and other conditions for determining potentialinjuries) based on the specific individual data retrieved in step 303,for example, passengers of different ages (e.g., young children andelderly occupants may have lower impact thresholds), different seatingpositions or seat belt type/usage (e.g., backseat passengers, reclinedpassengers, passengers having only lap belts, and occupants not wearingseatbelts may have lower impact thresholds), different physical sizes(e.g., extremely tall, short, heavy, or light occupants may have higheror lower impact thresholds), and for occupants that have sustainedprevious injuries or other medical conditions (e.g., a passenger thatrecently sustained a broken arm, a passenger that was treated forextensive neck and back injuries from a previous car accident, etc.).

In addition to medical damages, the potential damages determined in step304 may include property damages, in the form of damage to the vehicle210, other vehicles 210 a-210 c involved in the accident, or otherproperty that may potentially have been damaged in the accident (e.g.,bicycles, street signs, posts, trees, fences, mailboxes, etc.). Thepotential damages to the vehicle 210 resulting from the accident may bebased on the characteristics of the accident (e.g., the speed anddirection of travel of the vehicle(s) just before the accident, theimpact point on the vehicle 210, the model type, curb weight, and safetyfeatures of the vehicle(s) involved in the accident, which airbags weredeployed by the vehicle 210, etc.), as well as information the generaland specific vehicle data retrieved in step 303 (e.g., vehicle make,model, year, trim, mileage, previous accidents and repairs of thevehicle, the maintenance records of the vehicle, vehicle safety andreliabilities ratings, etc.). For instance, an accident detection andrecovery application 222 may compare the accident characteristics todifferent accident impact types and predetermined speed thresholds(e.g., rear impact>15 MPH, side impact>5 MPH, front impact>10 MPH,glancing impact>5 MPH, etc.) to determine if the vehicle 210 is likelyto have sustained damage. Multiple thresholds may be defined andimplemented within the application 222 for different vehicle types(e.g., by make, model, and year), and for different severity levels ofvehicle damages, such as a first speed impact threshold to determine ifvehicle 210 is likely to have body damage, and a second higher speedimpact threshold to determine if vehicle 210 is likely to have moreserious structural damage. In some cases, the accident detection andrecovery application 222 may determine and implement different speedimpact thresholds (and other conditions for determining potentialdamages) based on vehicle-specific data such as previous accidentrecords and maintenance history. For instance, a first vehicle 210 a maybe given a higher speed impact threshold for determining potentialvehicle damage based on its regular maintenance history and the purchaseof additional vehicle safety features, while a second vehicle 210 b maybe given a lower speed impact threshold based on one or more previousaccident involving the vehicle during which the vehicle 210 b may haveincurred minor frame damage.

In step 305, a set of accident recovery options and/or recommendationsmay be determined based on the potential damages identified in step 304.As discussed above, the determination of accident recovery options andrecommendations in step 305 may be performed by an accident detectionand recovery application 222 executing on the mobile device 220. Inother examples, this step (and some or all of the other functionalitydiscussed in FIG. 3) may be performed by mobile devices 220,vehicle-based systems (e.g., 211-215), one or more external servers(e.g., an insurance server 250 a), and/or any combination of thehardware and software components of these devices.

The accident recovery options and recommendations determined in step 305may be based on the potential damages identified in step 304. Forexample, the recovery options determined in step 305 for potentialmedical damages may include general recommended medical care, andspecific recommendations of appropriate medical care providers andfacilities based on the types of injuries potentially sustained and theinjured individuals. The recovery options for vehicle damage and otherproperty damage also may be based on the potential damages identified instep 304. For example, the recovery options determined in step 305 forpotential vehicle damages may correspond to optional and recommendedrepairs of the potential vehicle damages.

The accident recovery options and recommendations determined in step 305also may be based on the time, day, and geographic location of theaccident. For example, certain medical care providers and facilities,vehicle repair shops, alternative transportation options, and variousother services may or may not be current available to the vehicle'soccupants depending on their location and the current time. Accordingly,both general and specific accident recovery recommendations may takeinto account the time and location of the accident, as well as otherfactors such as weather and visibility conditions, road type (e.g.,street or highway), the crime rate in the neighborhood of the accident,etc.

Additionally, the accident recovery options and recommendationsdetermined in step 305 also may be based on the insurance coverage,policy details, and other insurance factors associated with the vehicle210, other vehicles 210 a-210 c involved in the accident, and any theinsurance coverages associated with the individual vehicle occupants(e.g., health insurance, home and property insurance, personal orprofessional liability insurance, etc.) As discussed below in moredetail, a user's accident recovery options and recommendations for bothpotential injuries and potential property damage may depend on theinsurance policies and coverages of the individuals and vehiclesinvolved in the accident.

In step 306, one or more user interface screens providing accidentdetection and/or recovery information are generated and displayed to theuser. The user interface screens may be generated and displayed by themobile device 220, the vehicle 210 (e.g., via a dashboard display,navigation system display, etc.), or a combination of devices in theaccident detection and recovery system 200. The accident detectionand/or recovery information provided to the user in step 306 may includeany combination of the accident characteristics determined in step 302,the vehicle and/or individual data determined in step 303, the potentialaccident damages determined in step 304, and the accident recoveryoptions and recommendations determined in step 305. Several examples ofuser interface screens providing accident detection and/or recoveryinformation are shown in FIGS. 4C-4H, discussed below.

Referring now to FIG. 4C, an example user interface is shown displayinga vehicle repair recommendation screen 400 c. In this example, afterdetecting a vehicle accident, and retrieving and analyzing various datarelated to the accident, a list of recommended vehicle repairs 401 c hasbeen determined and displayed on the mobile device 220. In some cases,the mobile device 220 may receive the list of vehicle repairs 401 c froman internal diagnostic system of the vehicle 210. As discussed above,the vehicle sensors 211 and other vehicle-based systems may collect thevehicle damage information after an accident and transmit the data tothe user's mobile device 220. In other examples, an accident detectionand recovery application 222 of the mobile device 220 may list ofrecommended vehicle repairs 401 c without receiving the vehicle damagesfrom the vehicle 210. For instance, the application 222 may use theaccident characteristics (e.g., vehicle speed and orientation, impactlocation, etc.), and the vehicle type to determine the list 401 c ofpotential vehicle damages from the accident. In other cases, theapplication 222 may retrieve additional vehicle information, such asprevious accident records and vehicle repair/maintenance data todetermine the list 401 c of potential vehicle damages.

As shown in FIG. 4C, the list of potential vehicle damages and/orrecommended vehicle repairs from the accident may be manually edited bythe user of the mobile device 220. For example, the accident detectionand recovery application 222 may automatically generate and display aninitial list of potential vehicle damages and/or recommended vehiclerepairs 401 c. The application 222 then may allow the user to addadditional vehicle damages that were not identified by the automaticprocesses (e.g., using button 402 c), and to remove any potentialvehicle damages from the list 401 c that were not actually damaged orthat the user does not wish to repair (e.g., by selecting and deletingthe items from the list 401 c).

Referring now to FIG. 4D, another example user interface is showndisplaying a list of vehicle repair estimates 400 d. In this example,after determining a list of recommended or desired vehicle repairs 401c, which may be determined automatically and/or manually as discussedabove, the accident detection and recovery application 222 may identifyone or more qualified repair locations and obtain estimates forrepairing the damage to the vehicle 210. The accident detection andrecovery application 222 may determine the qualified repair locationsbased on, for example, the vehicle type (e.g., make, model, year, etc.)and the vehicle damage (e.g., body damage, engine repairs, tirereplacements, etc.). Additionally, in some cases, the application 222may identify nearby repair shops using the vehicle's current location,or may identify only those repair shops that accept the insurancecoverage associated with the vehicle 210 and/or individual user. Inorder to determine the vehicle estimate amounts from the differentrepair shops, dealerships, etc., the accident detection and recoveryapplication 222 may contact the repair location server 250 d or otheronline services configured to provide vehicle repair estimates in realtime or near real time.

Referring now to FIG. 4E, another example user interface is showndisplaying a medical recommendations screen 400 e. In this example, theaccident detection and recovery application 222 has determined that theuser of the mobile device 220 may be at risk for suffering from back orneck injuries, or having a concussion, from the vehicle accident. Inthis example, the application 222 may determine that the user is at riskof having whiplash or a concussion based on the accident characteristics(e.g., vehicle speed, type and angle of impact, etc.), the type ofvehicle(s) 210 involved in the accident, and the medical history of theuser (e.g., previous vehicle accidents, previous concussions, etc.). Inaddition to the displayed medical recommendations 400 e, the userinterface in FIG. 4E also displays three interactive user responsebuttons 401 e that may allow the user to contact an ambulance forimmediate medical attention, schedule a doctor's appointment fornon-urgent medical care, or decline the medical recommendationsgenerated by the application 222.

Referring now to FIG. 4F, another example user interface is showndisplaying a transportation options screen 400 f. In this example, theaccident detection and recovery application 222 has determined that thevehicle 210 has sustained damage from the accident making the vehiclepotentially undrivable. Accordingly, the application 222 in this examplemay use the current location of the mobile device 220 (i.e., theaccident location), the current time, current weather conditions, andthe existence of various nearby businesses or facilities to identify andrecommend one or more transportation options for the user of the mobiledevice 220. In this example, the accident detection and recoveryapplication 222 has identified and displayed a list 401 f of possibletransportation options available to the user, in the event that thevehicle 210 is undrivable, including a taxi, tow truck, rental car, orpublic transportation. The user may select any of these options via theuser interface screen 400 f to obtain additional information and/orcontact the transportation provider.

Referring now to FIG. 4G, another example user interface is showndisplaying an insurance claim review and settlement screen 400 g. Inthis example, the accident detection and recovery application 222, aloneor in conjunction with an insurance provider server 250 a, hasautomatically initiated an insurance claim based on the accident. Tostart an insurance claim, the application 222 may initiate an electronicclaim process and populate one or more electronic claim forms (e.g., 401g) with the vehicle data for the vehicle(s) 210 involved in theaccident, the accident description, accident damage types, injury orrepair estimates, and the like. In certain examples, the vehicle datashown in FIG. 4G may be manually input by the user into the application222 on the mobile device 220. In other examples, the vehicle data may betransmitted from the vehicles 210 involved in the accident, via one ormore vehicle-based systems (e.g., V2V communication system 212,telematics device 213, etc.). Similarly, the accident description in theelectronic claim form 401 g may be manually input by the user, or may beautomatically generated by the application 222 using the determinedaccident characteristics, the retrieved vehicle data and individualdata, etc. In some examples, the accident detection and recoveryapplication 222 may automatically initiate an insurance claim andpopulate the electronic claim forms based on the accident datadetermined in steps 302-305, and then may present the pre-populatedinsurance claim forms to the user for revision and/or confirmation.After reviewing and confirming the user may select an option to settlethe claim (e.g., the “Settle Claim Now” button).

Although the example shown in FIG. 4G relates to initiating insuranceclaims, in other examples the accident detection and recoveryapplication 222 may determine that a vehicle 210 is totaled, and mayinitiate a title transfer process rather than an insurance claimprocess. For instance, if the application 222 determines that thedamages to the vehicle 210 (or the likely and/or potential damages) fromthe accident are greater than the value of the vehicle 210, then theapplication 222 may, alone or in conjunction with the insurance server250 a and/or other external devices 250) commence and electronic processto transfer the vehicle title to the insurance provider or a salvagefacility.

Referring now to FIG. 4H, another example user interface is showndisplaying an insurance and legal services screen 400 h. In thisexample, the accident detection and recovery application 222 hasdetermined that the vehicle and/or user are covered by an insurancepolicy with respect to the accident. The determination an insurancepolicy will cover a vehicle accident in this example may be based on,for example, the vehicle 210 involved in the accident, the driver and/orpassengers in the vehicle 210, the coverages, terms, and conditions ofthe insurance policies covering the vehicle and/or occupants, theaccident characteristics and potential damages, and the location orjurisdiction of the accident. In this example, based on the vehicle 210and the individuals involved in the accident, the accidentcharacteristics, and the accident location, the accident detection andrecovery application 222 has determined that the accident will becovered by an insurance policy, and also has determined one or morelegal recommendations 401 h, which may be selected by the user.

While the aspects described herein have been discussed with respect tospecific examples including various modes of carrying out aspects of thedisclosure, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there arenumerous variations and permutations of the above described systems andtechniques that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A mobile computing device, comprising: oneor more processors; one or more hardware memory units; and one or morenetwork interfaces, wherein the mobile computing device is configured toaccess and employ the hardware memory units and processors to: receive,via the one or more network interfaces and via a wireless communicationnetwork, an accident detection and recovery application; execute theaccident detection and recovery application, executing the accidentdetection and recovery application including executing computer-readableinstructions to: receive current location and time data from a GlobalPositioning System (GPS) associated with the mobile device; determine,using at least one of: movement sensors and location sensors within themobile computing device, that the mobile computing device is within avehicle that was involved in an accident; determine, based at least ondata received from the at least one of the movement sensors and thelocation sensors, one or more accident characteristics associated withthe accident; determine at least one of a type of potential damages oran amount of potential damages associated with the accident, based onthe accident characteristics, determining the at least one of a type ofpotential damages or an amount of potential damages associated with theaccident including: comparing the accident characteristics to aplurality of predetermined impact types and speed thresholds;identifying an impact type and speed threshold corresponding to theaccident characteristics; and determining the at least one of a type ofpotential damages or an amount of potential damages based on theidentified impact type and speed threshold; determine, based on theidentified impact type and speed threshold, a part of a body of one ormore occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury; and generate anddisplay an accident recovery user interface on the mobile computingdevice, the accident recovery user interface including recommendationsbased on the determined type or amount of potential damages andrecommendations based on the determined part of the body of the one ormore occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury, therecommendations based on the determined part of the body of the one ormore occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury including a medicalcare facility and further being based on the location and current timedata received from the GPS.
 2. The mobile computing device of claim 1,wherein determining that the mobile computing device is in a vehiclethat was involved in an accident further includes: receiving, via theone or more network interfaces, data from a vehicle-based computingdevice of a first vehicle indicating that the first vehicle was involvedin an accident.
 3. The mobile computing device of claim 2, whereindetermining the accident characteristics associated with the accidentcomprises: receiving, from the vehicle-based computing device of thefirst vehicle, at least one of: a speed of the first vehicle at the timeof the accident; an area of impact on the first vehicle during theaccident; or a number of passengers in the first vehicle at the time ofthe accident.
 4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, whereindetermining that the mobile computing device is in a vehicle that wasinvolved in an accident further includes: retrieving and analyzing datafrom at least one of: an accelerometer of the mobile computing device; aspeedometer of the mobile computing device; or the Global PositioningSystem (GPS) or other location-based service (LBS) of the mobilecomputing device.
 5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, whereindetermining the type of potential damages or amount of potential damagesassociated with the accident further includes: retrieving, from anexternal computer server, via the one or more network interfaces, atleast one of physical attribute data or medical history data for the oneor more occupants of the vehicle; and determining at least one of a typeor amount of potential medical damages to the occupants of the vehicle,based on the retrieved physical attribute data or medical history dataof the occupants of the vehicle, based on the accident characteristics,and based on the determined part of the body of the one or moreoccupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury.
 6. The mobile computingdevice of claim 1, wherein generating and displaying the accidentrecovery user interface comprises: determining one or more insurancecoverage characteristics applicable to the accident; and determining anaccident recovery recommendation based on the insurance coveragecharacteristics applicable to the accident, and based on the accidentcharacteristics.
 7. The mobile computing device of claim 6, wherein themobile computing device is further configured to access and employ thememory units and processors to: initiate at least one of: an insuranceclaim; a title transfer process; or a vehicle damage repair estimate,wherein the initiation of the insurance claim, title transfer process,or vehicle damage repair estimate is based on determined type or amountof potential damages associated with the accident, and the insurancecoverage characteristics applicable to the accident.
 8. A method,comprising: receiving, by a mobile computing device and via a wirelesscommunication network, an accident detection and recovery application;executing, by the mobile computing device, the accident detection andrecovery application, executing the accident detection and recoveryapplication including executing a series of computer-readableinstructions to: receive, from a Global Positioning System (GPS)associated with the mobile computing device, current time and locationdata of the mobile computing device; determine, by the mobile computingdevice and using at least one of: movement sensors and location sensorswithin the mobile computing device, that the mobile computing device isin a vehicle that was involved in an accident; determine, by the mobilecomputing device and based at least on data received from the at leastone of the movement sensors and the location sensors, one or moreaccident characteristics associated with the accident; determine, by themobile computing device, at least one of a type of potential damages oran amount of potential damages associated with the accident, based onthe accident characteristics, determining the at least one of a type ofpotential damages or an amount of potential damages associated with theaccident including: comparing the accident characteristics to aplurality of predetermined impact types and speed thresholds;identifying an impact type and speed threshold corresponding to theaccident characteristics; and determining the at least one of a type ofpotential damages or an amount of potential damages based on theidentified impact type and speed threshold; determine, based on theidentified impact type and speed threshold, a part of a body of one ormore occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury; and generate anddisplay, by the mobile computing device, an accident recovery userinterface, the accident recovery user interface includingrecommendations based on the determined type or amount of potentialdamages and recommendations based on the determined part of the body ofthe one or more occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury, therecommendations based on the determined part of the body of the one ormore occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury including a medicalcare facility and further being based on the location and current timedata received from the GPS.
 9. The method of claim 8, whereindetermining that the mobile computing device is in a vehicle that wasinvolved in an accident further includes: receiving, at the mobilecomputing device, data from a vehicle-based computing device of a firstvehicle indicating that the first vehicle was involved in an accident.10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the accidentcharacteristics associated with the accident comprises: receiving, fromthe vehicle-based computing device of the first vehicle, at least oneof: a speed of the first vehicle at the time of the accident; an area ofimpact on the first vehicle during the accident; or a number ofpassengers in the first vehicle at the time of the accident.
 11. Themethod of claim 8, wherein determining that the mobile computing deviceis in a vehicle that was involved in an accident further includes:retrieving and analyzing data from at least one of: an accelerometer ofthe mobile computing device; a speedometer of the mobile computingdevice; or the Global Positioning System (GPS) or other location-basedservice (LBS) of the mobile computing device.
 12. The method of claim 8,wherein determining the type of potential damages or amount of potentialdamages associated with the accident further includes: retrieving, froman external computer server, at least one of physical attribute data ormedical history data for the one or more occupants of the vehicle; anddetermining at least one of a type or amount of potential medicaldamages to the occupants of the vehicle, based on the retrieved physicalattribute data or medical history data of the occupants of the vehicle,based on the accident characteristics and based on the determined partof the body of the one or more occupants of the vehicle to evaluate forinjury.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein generating and displaying theaccident recovery user interface comprises: determining one or moreinsurance coverage characteristics applicable to the accident; anddetermining an accident recovery recommendation based on the insurancecoverage characteristics applicable to the accident, and based on theaccident characteristics.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising: initiating, by the mobile computing device, at least one of:an insurance claim; a title transfer process; or a vehicle damage repairestimate, wherein the initiation of the insurance claim, title transferprocess, or vehicle damage repair estimate is based on determined typeor amount of potential damages associated with the accident, and theinsurance coverage characteristics applicable to the accident.
 15. Asystem, comprising: a mobile computing device, comprising: a processingunit; a hardware memory unit; and a wireless network interface; avehicle-based computing device of a first vehicle, comprising: aprocessing unit; a hardware memory unit; and a network interfaceconfigured to receive sensor data from vehicle sensors of the firstvehicle; and one or computer servers, each said computer servercomprising: one or more processors; one or more nonvolatile hardwarememory units; and one or more networking components, wherein the mobilecomputing device further includes an accident detection and recoveryapplication executing in a background of the mobile computing device,the accident detection and recovery application configured to access andemploy the hardware memory unit and processor of the mobile computingdevice to: determine that the mobile computing device is within thefirst vehicle, based on communication with the vehicle-based computingdevice of the first vehicle; determine that the first vehicle wasinvolved in an accident; determine one or more accident characteristicsassociated with the accident; receive current location and time datafrom a Global Positioning System (GPS) associated with the mobilecomputing device; determine at least one of a type of potential damagesor an amount of potential damages associated with the accident based onthe accident characteristics, determining the at least one of a type ofpotential damages or an amount of potential damages associated with theaccident including: comparing the accident characteristics to aplurality of predetermined impact types and speed thresholds;identifying an impact type and speed threshold corresponding to theaccident characteristics; and determining the at least one of a type ofpotential damages or an amount of potential damages based on theidentified impact type and speed threshold; determine, based on theidentified impact type and speed threshold, a part of a body of one ormore occupants of the vehicle to evaluate for injury; retrieve, from theone or more computer servers, accident recovery data based on at leastone of: data identifying the first vehicle; data identifying a user ofthe mobile computing device; or the one or more accidentcharacteristics, and display an accident recovery user interface on themobile computing device, the accident recovery user interface includingrecommendations based on the accident recovery data retrieved from theone or more computer computers, recommendations based on the determinedtype of amount of potential damages, and recommendations based on thedetermined part of the body of the one or more occupants of the vehicleto evaluate for injury, the recommendations based on the determined partof the body of the one or more occupants of the vehicle to evaluate forinjury including a medical care facility and further being based on thelocation and current time data received from the GPS.
 16. The system ofclaim 15, wherein retrieving the accident recovery data from the one ormore computer servers comprises: transmitting identifying informationcorresponding to a user of the mobile computing device, or correspondingto the first vehicle, to an insurance provider server; and receiving,from the insurance provider server, insurance coverage characteristicsapplicable to the accident.
 17. The system of claim 15, whereinretrieving the accident recovery data from the one or more computerservers comprises: transmitting, to the one or more computer servers,identifying information corresponding to the one or more occupants ofthe first vehicle; and receiving, from the one or more computer servers,at least one of physical attribute data or medical history data for theone or more occupants of the first vehicle.
 18. The system of claim 15,wherein retrieving the accident recovery data from the one or morecomputer servers comprises: transmitting the one or more accidentcharacteristics to a vehicle repair server; and receiving, from thevehicle repair server, a vehicle damage repair estimate.
 19. The systemof claim 15, wherein determining the one or more accidentcharacteristics associated with the accident comprises: receiving sensordata of the first vehicle, from the vehicle-based computing device ofthe first vehicle; and analyzing the sensor data of the first vehicle todetermine the accident characteristics.
 20. The system of claim 19,wherein the determined accident characteristics comprise at least oneof: a speed of the first vehicle at the time of the accident; an area ofimpact on the first vehicle during the accident; or a number ofpassengers in the first vehicle at the time of the accident.